


Simple Sentences

by OperationFCC



Series: Tumblr Sheith Prompts and Drabbles [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Rating for Language, first meeting AU, kinda flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 14:49:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11038404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OperationFCC/pseuds/OperationFCC
Summary: Keith is being bothered by a guy who just can't take no for an answer when a peculiar stranger comes to his aid.Tumblr prompt for @somegoodsheith!





	Simple Sentences

Whatever happened to quiet bars with dim lighting?  Not on this planet.  Everything on this small space rock was neon signs and loud music.  Even if the place was more like a club than a bar, Keith couldn’t complain; at least the liquor was decent.

He sipped at what he could only guess was the whiskey-sour equivalent of this alien drink, turning in his seat so he could watch the people around him.  He wasn’t sure he would ever get tired of this - jumping from planet to planet, experiencing something completely new every couple of weeks, seeing what the rest of the universe had to offer.  Leaving his tiny Earth colony was the best decision he’d ever made.  So what if he didn’t have steady work or a place to live that wasn’t his cramped, worse-for-wear space shuttle?  He’d manage.

He always did.

“Looking for something in particular?”

Keith threw a sideways glance at the Earther who approached him - male, nearly six foot tall, muscular build, dirty blonde hair and way too much confidence on his visage.  He stood next to Keith, closer than he was comfortable with, and leaned back against the bar, planting his elbows on the counter.

“Not interested,” Keith muttered before taking another drink, shifting his attention back to the dance floor.  He really wasn’t in the mood to be hit on and wanted nothing more than to drink and absorb his new surroundings in peace.  From his peripherals, he saw the Earther’s features twist with indignance.  Something told Keith that the guy wasn’t used to blatant rejection.

“You don’t need to be that way,” he crooned after regaining his composure, turning his body so he was facing Keith - a motion that made the distance between them even smaller.   “Give me a chance, babe; I’ll show you a good time.”

He threw the man a warning glare.  “Back off.”

The Earther straightened up then with a scowl, his casual demeanor suddenly shifting into something more threatening.  “Listen, you-”

“He said back off.”

Keith turned his head at the sound of the voice, which belonged to another Earther sitting two barstools away from him.  He blinked at the man’s unusual features - short black hair, with a shock of white that made up his forelock and a prosthetic right arm, made entirely of metal, the chromatic lights that flashed from the ceiling bouncing off of its shiny surface.  He stared down at his drink, arms folded across the bar, as if he wasn’t entirely invested in the situation.  Yet.

“What the fuck did you just say?” the first Earther spat, moving around Keith to approach the opposition.

Earther #2 raised his head but didn’t turn to look at the man, even when he stood only a few feet from him.  He took a long drink from his glass before gingerly setting it back down on the counter.  “It seems to me that you’re having some trouble comprehending simple sentences,” he mused before finally throwing him a bored glance.  “What about ‘not interested’ and ‘back off’ do you not understand?”

Keith could have sworn he saw the second man’s grey eyes flash violet for just a moment.  Who _was_ this guy?

Earther #1 took another step forward and growled, “Do you wanna say that agai-”

His voice was cut off by a startled grunt.  Keith’s eyes widened as the other man’s right arm began to glow a searing purple, the glass in his hand hissing under the heat.  Without warning, it shattered, making Keith jump in his seat.  The liquid that was inside of the glass spilled across the man’s hand, evaporating into trails of steam that sizzled off of the metal.  

“I’ve got another simple one for you,” he started, standing from his seat so he could be face to face with Earther #1, leaving less than a foot of space in between them.  “ _Leave him alone_.”

The first man was already backing away, and within moments, he fled into the crowd.

Virtually left alone with the other Earther, Keith realized that his heart was pounding with fear, excitement, awe - he wasn’t sure which, and he couldn’t help but stare at the man as he sat back down.

“I.. um.. Thanks,” Keith muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed that he didn’t have anything else to say.  Normally, this was something he would feel irritated at - someone butting in and feeling the need to come to his rescue - but he was much too astonished.  He’d never seen anything like that arm on an Earther, and he found himself wanting to know more about him.

The man shrugged but gave Keith a surprisingly warm smile - not something he expected from someone so intense.  “Don’t mention it.  Seems like Earthers are assholes everywhere, huh?”

The corner up Keith’s lips turned up in a small smile of his own.  “You seem pretty alright.”

“Well, thank you,” he responded with a light laugh.  “I try.”

Rare like his right arm was the kindness in his voice and sincerity in his smile; Keith didn’t see much of that in his travels, and he felt drawn to it.  To him.  He scratched the back of his head, feeling a nervous wave ripple through him as he made his way over to the man.  “Listen… Can I get you a drink?  I mean, you know, to replace the last one.”

The Earther grinned, his shoulders shaking with another laugh.  “I’d like that.”  He held out his right arm to him.  “Takashi Shirogane.  But you can call me Shiro.”

Without hesitation, Keith shook his hand, the metal warm against his palm.  “Keith.”

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me on Tumblr :)
> 
> Username: sword-and-sheith


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